Under the Mistletoe
by Dazzlious
Summary: The Weasley twins decide to play a little prank on Hermione. Will it turn out as they expected?


_A/N: This is another little one-shot. I really must stop watching those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies as they inspire all sorts of mega-cheesy plot bunnies! Happy Christmas, all. Dx_

* * *

Hermione looked up and a feeling of disbelief washed over her. Somehow she was trapped under a bloody great clump of mistletoe although she had absolutely no idea what it was doing in the Great Hall or how she had been the one to be unlucky enough to get caught beneath it.

In the space of a few seconds a whole range of emotions ran through her, from annoyance at the thought that she was stuck, to panic at not being able to move, then anger when she spotted the laughing faces of the Weasley twins, who she suspected were the culprits as they were whispering and nudging each other conspiratorially. The feeling finally moved on to fear that no one would help her out, followed immediately by embarrassment accompanied by a sinking stomach and a sick feeling at the thought that everyone would be laughing at her because of her predicament, especially when no one freed her and she became a figure of ridicule for the whole school.

She was about to call out to Harry and Ron to stop them leaving, as they didn't appear to have noticed that she wasn't following them and couldn't move, but that would just make it obvious to everyone else, too. At the moment she thought only Fred and George knew for certain that she was stuck and she really wasn't eager to advertise her problem to all and sundry.

Hermione wasn't sure what she was going to do to the twins in revenge, but before she could think about that she had to get free from the mistletoe. She had no idea how to go about that without making it obvious that she was trapped and giving everyone in the room the chance to take the piss out of her. Frustratingly, there was nothing she could do on her own because no magic would free her from the magical plant, only a kiss.

'Hang about,' Fred told Harry, grabbing his arm as he and Ron walked past them on the way to the door.

Harry stopped and looked at him curiously. 'What's the matter?'

Fred cocked his head back towards Hermione with a grin.

'What's she doing?' Harry asked, sounding and looking confused, then he spotted the mistletoe and realised that Hermione was trapped and started grinning. 'Did you do that to her?' he asked the twins. 'She's going to kill you when she gets free. You do know that, don't you?'

'If she gets free,' George said placidly.

'Oh, I'm sure she'll get free eventually but I don't think she'll be worried about us by then,' Fred predicted confidently. 'Anyway, it'll be worth it . . . I hope.' More quietly he added, 'We were trying to give our baby brother a chance to finally man up and admit that he fancies Hermione. Surely even he can't cock it up with a captive audience.'

'She doesn't look too happy, does she?' George said sounding jovial. 'You know, Ron, I think you should get over to Hermione and—' He broke off as Ron talked over him.

'What's up with—' Ron started to ask as he finally realised what the others were laughing about and joined them in looking at Hermione. But when he realised she was trapped under the mistletoe he stopped laughing and just stared at her.

Harry noticed his friend had gone a bit red and he was sure Ron was imagining himself freeing Hermione with a kiss. But although Ron was staring at Hermione he made no move to go towards her.

'Go on then,' Fred told Ron, sounding impatient. He nudged his brother, trying to make him move. 'I'd get in quick before someone else realises she's under the mistletoe and moves in instead.'

'Is anyone else likely to kiss Hermione?' George asked, sounding sceptical.

Fred shrugged. 'Who knows? Let's face it, there are all sorts of weirdos at Hogwarts so it's not inconceivable that someone in here has got the hots for her. I mean, Ron can't be the only one.'

Ron was bright red now and Harry saw him open his mouth as if he was going to tell his brothers to shut up, but then he appeared to think better of it, probably knowing it would just make them worse.

'Now's your big moment, Ronnikins,' Fred said.

'Yeah, come on little bro, it's time to go and get the girl,' George added.

But Ron just continued staring.

Hermione seemed to be trying to pretend that she wasn't trapped but was just standing around for the hell of it, although she was darting pleading looks in their direction. Harry couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. He could sort of understand why the twins had pulled this stunt; they were surely as fed up as he and Ginny with Ron mooning around over Hermione but never doing anything about it. But it wasn't really fair to Hermione to put her in this potentially embarrassing situation when they couldn't be sure Ron would act in the way they expected or hoped he would.

Having said that, Hermione had done plenty of things to annoy Fred and George recently in her capacity as a Prefect, her interference with their joke shop sales being just the most recent, and Harry suspected that this was their way of paying her back. They probably didn't care about the embarrassment they were causing her.

He glared at Ron, hoping this would be enough to spur his friend into action, but the redhead seemed to be as frozen as Hermione was.

'Well, go on,' Harry said quietly, nodding in Hermione's direction in case the words weren't explicit enough for Ron to understand what he meant.

'What do you expect me to do?' Ron asked, sounding panicked.

'You want to kiss Hermione, don't you?' Harry asked, rolling his eyes. Gods, Ron could be such a moron sometimes.

'I didn't think it would be in the middle of the Great Hall with everyone watching,' Ron muttered.

'It tells everybody exactly what your intentions are,' Fred pointed out brightly, butting into the conversation. 'You know, that she's your girlfriend.'

'But Hermione isn't my girlfriend,' Ron spluttered. He had gone even redder now; even his ears were blushing.

George sighed. 'Not yet, but she will be once you kiss her. I don't know what your problem is, Ron. Everyone knows you fancy her like mad . . . and for some reason, she fancies you in return. Just get in there and give her a snog, for Merlin's sake.'

'Why did you do this?' Ron asked his brothers, He sounded mulish.

Fred shrugged. 'Does it matter why we did it? We're doing you a favour here, Ron. Just go and free Hermione and then we'll all be happy.'

'Yeah, you can thank us later,' George said with a grin.

Harry realised that other people in the room had now begun to notice that Hermione was trapped. A few of them were pointing and laughing as Hermione looked ever more pleadingly in his and Ron's direction. Her cheeks were stained with colour and she looked as if she was about to cry.

'Ron, go and free Hermione,' he hissed, feeling annoyed with the boy for leaving their poor friend so exposed.

For a moment Harry wondered whether he should just go over there and free her himself, as Ron still seemed to be prevaricating for some reason, but he wanted to avoid that if at all possible. If he kissed Hermione then the whole school would think he fancied her; it would spread like wildfire and would ruin any chance of anything further developing with Cho, with whom he had shared some rather wonderful kisses under the mistletoe only a couple of days before. He definitely didn't want to ruin the chance of more kisses with her because of one kiss with Hermione.

He had just decided he was going force Ron over there even if he had to push him all the way when he heard George announce, 'Just bloody do it.' The twins gave each other a look, then they both pushed Ron at the same time, propelling him towards Hermione.

Ron stumbled, looking embarrassed as people close to him turned to look. He straightened himself up, pulling himself to his full height, and began to shuffle almost reluctantly towards Hermione.

Hermione, who had been silently cursing not only Fred and George but also Harry and Ron, looked relieved. At least they were _finally_ doing something to help her. She knew from the comments and stares that other people had realised she was trapped, so it wouldn't be long before it spread throughout the hall and the Slytherins over on the far side heard and began to taunt her. She watched Ron walk slowly towards her, his face scarlet. Knowing he was going to kiss her, she began to panic.

She had no idea why she was panicking; after all, it wasn't as if she had never considered kissing Ron before. She had, lots of times, and she wanted him to kiss her. But her fantasies had never involved them kissing in front of a room full of people, some of whom were definitely their enemies and were likely to use this moment against them in the future. Oh gods, this was going to be really embarrassing, especially with more and more people watching her now and with Ron so clearly unhappy about what he had to do.

Hermione couldn't work out whether he really didn't want to kiss her or if it was just the situation that was putting him off. It didn't really matter. Whatever the reason, the way it was going to happen wasn't ideal for either of them so it would probably be absolutely awful. The worst thing was that if it was that bad it might be the only kiss she would ever get with Ron.

'What have we here, then?'

Hermione looked at the owner of the smug voice and her heart sank as she waited for further torment to follow. Of course, Draco Malfoy would have to see her like this — the person she least wanted to know that she was trapped. She wished Ron would get there quickly and free her, but she knew that was unlikely now Malfoy was standing in front of her and ready to start the taunting.

Draco glanced upwards, his smirk growing.

'Mistletoe. How very unfortunate for you, Granger,' he said loudly, drawing a few laughs from nearby students. He looked around, taking in Ron who had paused for a second and was scowling at him, then looked back at Hermione. 'I suppose I'd better free you, otherwise you could be here forever, especially if you're waiting for the Weasel to come and rescue you.'

Before Hermione could say or do anything Draco stepped forward, put his arms around her, and kissed her as gasps of surprise erupted around the room.

Hermione's heart caught as his mouth touched hers, his tongue pressing against her lips and trying to force its way into her mouth. She was so taken by surprise that she kissed him back automatically, her arms wrapping around Draco in return as the kiss deepened.

Harry had joined Ron, who had stopped moving completely when Draco started kissing Hermione.

'She's putting her arms around him,' Ron moaned, sounding distressed. 'Why's she doing that?'

Harry shrugged, not really sure what to say. 'Maybe it's an automatic thing?' he suggested.

'She can't want to kiss him, surely?' Ron said, watching the couple as they finished kissing. More angrily he added, 'And why did Malfoy kiss Hermione, anyway? He's always hated her.'

'I have absolutely no idea. Maybe he thought he was doing her a favour,' Harry told his friend, although he sounded sceptical.

In truth, he was as stunned as Ron, and probably Hermione, for that matter. He had no idea why Draco had kissed her; it wasn't like the Slytherin boy to be helpful, especially where Hermione was concerned. But whatever the reason, at least she was free from the mistletoe now.

'Wow,' Draco said quietly, staring at Hermione as the kiss ended.

He was still holding on to her and was pleased to note that she hadn't let go of him. Hermione looked a bit shell-shocked, but he supposed that was only to be expected after being kissed by him.

He pulled her back to him for another kiss, gratified that she didn't stop him. In fact, it seemed she was as enthusiastic as he was. A third kiss followed and the sound level in the Great Hall rose sharply as more people realised that Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were kissing.

The twins had joined Harry and Ron now and the four of them watched Draco and Hermione, three with interest and one with hatred.

'She seems to be enjoying herself,' George said mildly. 'Looks like we did her a favour there.'

'She's not the only one,' Fred added. He clapped Ron on the back. 'Bad luck, Ron. Although it was your own fault. We did tell you to get a move on.'

'But why is she kissing him again?' Ron asked miserably, seeming completely unable to understand what was happening.

'Because he's gorgeous,' Katie Bell, sitting at the table next to where they were standing, explained.

'And he's obviously a bloody good kisser,' Angelina Johnson, who was sitting with her, pointed out.

The two girls giggled as the boys stared sourly at the still-kissing couple.

'I like this,' Draco admitted as they came up for air. 'Do you think we should go somewhere more private?' he suggested.

Hermione, still too stunned to speak, just stared at him.

'What do you think?' he urged. 'Stay here or go elsewhere?'

'I don't mind.' Hermione finally managed to find her voice, although she sounded completely stunned.

'Go elsewhere, I think,' Draco told her. 'I really want to get to know you _much_ better, Hermione, and I don't think we need an audience.'

'What the hell are you doing, Draco?'

The room was filled with Pansy Parkinson's loud screech of anguish as she rushed towards him, seeming ready to pull him away from Hermione.

Draco considered her appraisingly for a moment, then he smiled coldly.

'I'm sure you can see what I'm doing, Pansy.'

He kissed Hermione tenderly, causing another shriek from Pansy. Then without bothering to say anything further, he picked Hermione up, cradling her in his arms as he pushed past the Slytherin girl.

'I'm getting away from your annoying squawking,' he told her. Pansy moved back, looking like she had been slapped in the face.

'Merry Christmas, everyone,' Draco said smugly as he walked past Harry, Ron and the twins, still carrying Hermione who was looking a bit dazed.

Angelina and Katie both sighed loudly.

'How romantic,' Katie said sounding wistful.

'Isn't it,' Angelina agreed.

'That was romantic?' Fred said, looking surprised. 'How was that romantic?'

'Look at them,' Angelina said, and they all turned to look at the couple who were kissing as Draco carried Hermione out the door.

'He carried her away in front of everyone,' Katie said excitedly. 'He must _really_ fancy her.'

'He hates her,' Ron told them bluntly.

Angelina and Katie stared at him, their eyes full of pity.

'I don't think so,' Katie said knowingly.

Fred sat down next to Angelina.

'So why was that romantic, Angelina? Perhaps you can explain it to me.'

Angelina considered for a few seconds, then shared a smile with Katie before turning back to Fred.

'Come with me and I'll explain it to you.'

She stood up. Fred, looking extremely pleased, stood up with her.

'See you later, boys,' he said as he took Angelina's hand and the two of them left the Great Hall.

'Are you going to explain it to me as well?' George asked Katie.

Katie studied him appraisingly for a minute, blushing slightly, then she shrugged, stood up, and took his hand.

'You want to go and comfort that Parkinson girl, Ron,' George told Ron sagely as they passed him. 'She looks as miserable as you do. You could make each other feel better.' He winked, then led Katie away, the two of them talking happily as they went.

Harry and Ron watched them go, both feeling as if they had been clubbed by something heavy.

'I still don't understand,' Ron said after a few seconds.

'Neither do I,' Harry admitted, 'but I think it's got something to do with the way girls' minds work.'

'But Malfoy—' Ron said, sounding pained.

'There's obviously something about him,' Harry replied without thinking.

His mind was on Cho now. He wondered whether she would find him picking her up and carrying her off somewhere as romantic as all their other female friends seemed to. He glanced across to the Ravenclaw table to see if she was there and if she had been watching. She was, and she and her friends were deep in excited conversation. Harry was sure he knew what they were talking about.

For a moment he pictured himself going over to Cho and offering her his hand in the way Fred and George had done. They had made it seem so easy – as had Malfoy, he had to admit – but Harry knew it was anything but, and fear of Cho and her friends laughing at him stopped him from doing anything. Well, that and Ron, who was moping morosely beside him.

Harry had no idea how it had occurred, but it seemed Malfoy fancied Hermione and she wasn't averse to him either. He suspected he and Ron were going to have to get used to the Slytherin being her boyfriend, for the foreseeable future at least. Although he had never liked Malfoy he could put up with him for Hermione's sake, but that was going to be an awfully big thing to ask of Ron, who both detested the Slytherin and fancied Hermione. Harry knew things were going to be extremely uncomfortable for a while, perhaps for a long while, but maybe he could find something to take Ron's mind off it.

He looked across at Pansy, who was crying on Millicent Bulstrode's shoulder and considered George's parting words to his brother. Despite the tears, Pansy was actually quite a pretty girl and Harry wondered whether he would be able to convince his friend that he and Pansy could help each other get over their respective disappointments. It was possible, he supposed, but it wasn't going to happen today. Both of them would be far too bitter and upset to do more than bitch about Draco and Hermione.

'Let's go back to the common room,' Harry told Ron, hoping Hermione and Draco weren't anywhere on their path back to Gryffindor Tower. 'I've still got some Chocolate Cauldrons left and a couple of bottles of butterbeer. Let's go and have a game of chess.'

Ron looked unhappy but, aware that Hermione wasn't coming back any time soon, and that when she did she probably wouldn't be alone, he nodded and followed Harry towards the door trying not to think about what Malfoy and Hermione were doing. 


End file.
